This Mom of Twins Just Shared the ‘Imperfect’ Post-Baby Body Photo Every Woman Needs to See

Pregnancy is mostly a wonderful thing, but it can also lead to a world of complex feelings about body image for moms. For a lot of us, signs of pregnancy stick around long after we've given birth. Weight gain, stretch marks, loose skin — these changes, coupled with the pressure to constantly look perfect, can cause some serious self-esteem issues. That is exactly why one mom wants everyone to see how perfectly imperfect her post-baby body is.

New mom Emily Marson gave birth to her twin sons, Arthur and Finley, in October 2017.

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After months of documenting their growth on a special Instagram page, she decided to post something a little different. Last week, Marson posted an intimate photo of her and her twins, but instead of focusing on her face, the camera captured her body — C-section scar, stretch marks, and all. "I am now 4 months postpartum and beginning to embrace what my body has become," she wrote. 

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Marson spoke about how difficult it was for her to carry her twins.

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"These boys wanted to come out early and I was hospitalized a few times because of dehydration and early contractions."

But she also says that her suffering and the changes her pregnancy made to her body were completely worth it.

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"Our bodies go through a lot," she continued, "a lot of change and your body is put through an enormous amount and I am so proud of myself that I carried such beautiful children and gave them food, warmth and most importantly all the love that I never thought I had."

She's even managed to find comfort in the permanent presence of her C-section scar.

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She bravely proclaims that the scar she will carry forever is "a tiny sacrifice for a lifetime of beautiful memories with my family."

For every mom who's struggling to accept her changed body, Emily Marson has comforting words.

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"Your stretch marks DO NOT define you, your scar DOES NOT define you, your flab DOES NOT define you," she says.

Marson says that she wants her post-baby photo to encourage other moms to love their bodies as is.

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In an interview with the Independent, she explained that moms aren't encouraged to be proud of their post-baby bodies the way they should be, and she wants to change that. "I wanted to normalise postpartum bodies and make people aware of the reality of giving birth and carrying children," she said. "It's taken me a long time to accept who I am and I want to help other women accept themselves and feel beautiful just the way they are.

From the number of shares and comments on her post, it looks like the photo did exactly what it was intended to do.

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It takes a lot of guts to post an "imperfect" photo of yourself online. And it takes a ton of love to actively help other moms find the beauty in their own imperfections. All these things combined show us that Marson is pretty much a total badass, and we're definitely here for it.

"You are incredible, you are a mother and you are the light of your babies' eyes," Marson wrote at the end of her post. "I wanted to share this to show the reality of our bodies and that it’s okay not to be perfect because in their eyes you are exactly that."